Cheers (reviewwritersforum.co.uk)

Member Name: marandina

Product:	reviewwritersforum.co.uk
Date:	31/12/06 (265 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Friendly feel, interesting threads

Disadvantages: Could take over your life, man

***Intro***
People love to chat don’t they? We are gregarious by nature and where there’s a gathering, there’s a debate of some kind. This debate can vary in intensity and, depending on which forum you are participating in, the conversation can get cranked up to the point where folks start throwing things or simply remain benign to the point of dulldom. Of course, most interactions will be in the middle somewhere and the best analogy for the online behavioural traits is perhaps going to a pub or bar and choosing who you want to talk to and when. My own experience of forums is mixed. Up until recently, I was a regular contributor to one of the more off-the-wall message boards but kinda got tired with it and I’ve flitted in and out of others without ever adopting a particularly high profile. Generally, they’ve stood and fallen by the people participating and, to an extent, by the folks acting as moderators and even site owners.

***The Site***
A forum I’ve found myself drawn into recently is www.reviewwritersforum.co.uk. The brainchild of Thingywhatsit a.k.a. Rachel, I did ask the site owner what was behind the site and how it came about. Rachel’s view was “I began Review writers forum because there were several running, and after chatterweb folded, none of the existing ones seemed to suit people like me. I wanted a place where people could discuss issues, not people, a friendly site that didn't talk about other members of review sites, and thought the only way of getting what I was looking for was to create it. I had never done anything like this before, though knew there was a need. My first attempts were very basic and failed, though review writers forum, through persistence and care, has worked very well, and welcomes all genuine members of all review sites.” The original site was started on Aceboards two years ago although the site in its current state was started in February 2006. RWF seems to have had its share of controversy since its creation. Criticised by some for being “fluffy” and, at times, overbearing with its censorship on threads, the site has been through some choppy waters. Of course, maybe you would expect this with a discussion forum and it does seem to be par for the course that people get carried away with the anonymity of expressing themselves either about forums or on them. What is for sure is that RWF has overcome its critics and taken on board those observations to make the site better and stronger reflected in its membership which currently numbers 326 registered users.

***What’s Good***
The site loads quickly but then threaded forums like this have little in the way of images, pictures, GIFs etc and so there is little to slow down loading. The main page is presentable, maintaining its preponderance of blue for which it acquired its unofficial nickname a while ago (FOIB = Forum of Infinite Blueness). Links along the top include home/calendar/ FAQ/Search/memberlist/usergroups/profile/messages and log in/out. The threads themselves include sections on: Forum/Review Site Talk/Members Fun Area and a section at the bottom that lists things like the latest member to join and the number of people online, amongst other things.

The initial forum section is split into threads about “All Site Information” which includes a home for new members to say hello and a “Site Competition” section that details on site competitions as well as promotions taking place elsewhere. There’s a regular competition for best avatar, a regular on-site writing competition and even a daily “Guess the Star” feature which I’ve yet to guess correctly!

The “Review Site Talk” section includes threads about Ciao/Dooyoo/Other Review, Reward and Survey Sites/Which?/Epinions/General Review Site Chatter and Trivago. The threads that debate Ciao and Dooyoo appear to be the most active and often reflect a diversity of opinion that occasionally borders on contentious. However, the tight moderation and no-naming policy means that these threads rarely, if ever, get out of hand.

The Member’s Fun Area includes sections on Banter and Fun/Technical Questions/Entertainment/Current Affairs/The Arena/All About Books/Word Games/Ebay/Free Stuff Online/18 Plus and Bargain Basement. The current affairs threads reflect debates that are often topical like “Should Saddam Hussein hang?” and The Princess Diana inquest although my favourite parts of this section are the Entertainment threads which focus on the latest films and TV and the Banter and Fun which include things like member’s birthdays and an invitation to disclose your blog or personal website address.

The site does feature some ads by Google but these aren’t particularly intrusive and the links use small text. Joining is simply enough and involves choosing a username and password and, from recollection, if your membership is approved by the site owner, an activation e-mail allows you to log in to the site and start contributing to threads. Membership allows the user to build a personal profile including avatar (an image/GIF that represents your online persona), homepage site address, occupation, gender, birthday and other details such as MSN address etc.

If you have never used a threaded forum before then by clicking on the thread that takes your fancy, you can read the contributions that other members have made. Replying and contributing to threads is where the fun comes from although there are restrictions such as no naming of other members, no swearing (I f**king think, he he) and being respectful of others which may make some feel limited in their replies. There is also a real time chatroom with a link at the bottom of the main portal which enables MSN style chat in the moment.

***My Experience***
I’ve posted exactly 262 times since joining which I think was in April last year so I’m hardly prolific. I use the site for a number of reasons but the main one would be the bar/pub analogy in that I’m comfortable with many of the members. Some I particularly like whilst I’ve yet to encounter any troublemakers and I generally use the same threads although I should explore more of the site than I actually use. An example might be the 18+ section which I’ve never felt drawn too and I rarely contribute to the debates about Dooyoo and Ciao as I find them somewhat tedious at times although I appreciate that members do enjoy talking about the merits of mentioning food ingredients in reviews and pulling apart the Diamonds and Premium Fund on Ciao and the like and if that rocks your boat then please carry on. After all, forums like this are about the chance to express yourself.

***Summary***
I don’t think I’ll ever use forums as much as others do, due to the time constraints I have in my life. I choose to write reviews and make the odd contribution to forums but that may be the extent of it in the future. I enjoy RWF and admire Rachel’s determination in the way she continues to run it having taken on board the criticism encountered in the past. As for suggestions re improvement then that’s a tricky one as I’m hardly an expert on the technical side of sites like this. I understand that Dooyoo is to include a link to RWF in the New Year which will be a fillip for the site as well as driving more traffic its way. Moderation seems fine, spirit on the site seems good and the threads are generally interesting. I’m sure that Rachel will continue to seek to improve the forum because that’s the kind of determined lady she is and, if ultimately, sites like this reflect their owner’s personality then RWF looks like it has a long, successful future ahead of it.

Why not check it out? Maybe sooner or later, everybody will know your name. Cheers.

Thanks for the read and Happy New Year.

Mara

Summary: Overview of RWF